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'Kitchen Nightmares' goes to Babylon
One knows that they are in for a good time watching Kitchen Nightmares because it starts off with a “Viewer Discretion is Advised” warning. It’s a cooking show, and it starts with a warning about the language. Fantastic.
The basic premise of the show is simple: Gordon Ramsay takes a restaurant that is having some serious issues and turns it around over the course of a week. With the help of a bunch of producers that should be simple enough. Imagine Nanny 911 or Supernanny, but with cooking instead of kids.
Up first for Kitchen Nightmares is Peter’s Italian Restaurant in Babylon, NY. The restaurant is owned by Tina, managed and co-owned by her brother, Peter, and mom and dad are there for good measure too.
From the very outset of the show, it looks as though Peter is at fault, beyond being an hour late to pick up Ramsay, the show explains that Peter is more interested in his looks (expensive suits, fake tans, and bleached teeth) than in managing the restaurant.
After being introduced to folks at the restaurant, Ramsay sits down to have himself a meal, ordering the crab cakes and lobster ravioli. Taking one look at the salad that comes with the crab cakes, Ramsay sends it back, keeping just one crab cake to taste. It seems that the salad is old and wilted, but that is better than the crab cake which is cold and none-too-fresh. The meal keeps going downhill as, upon inspecting the lobster ravioli (which we learn in the kitchen is from Restaurant Depot, not made on premises), Ramsay passes, saying that it is not lobster at all, and looks more like baby food.
The next morning, Ramsay takes an unescorted look through the walk-in refrigerator. It is not pretty and, if it was not for the fact that ever other word that Peter uses has four letters, this could be why there was a viewer discretion warning up front. There is mold, water pouring from the ceiling, and things are decayed. Frankly, the stench almost came through the television.
Showing up late again, he was apparently supposed to accompany Ramsay into the walk-in, Peter hears what Ramsay has to say and then proceeds to blame everyone but himself. He, it seems, has absolutely nothing to do with anything that may be wrong in the kitchen, he is just the manager and co-owner.
Once the kitchen staff cleans up, dinner service starts. Robert, the chef, goes through with Ramsay everything that does not work in the place, stuff like the stove, the broiler, the oven, you know, the general equipment that actually makes a kitchen a kitchen. As Ramsay is seeing the disaster in the back, Peter is making a whole new one up front, comping people left and right, thereby eating into the restaurants non-existent profits.
It all gets worse though as a bill collector shows up in the middle of the dinner rush. Peter curses at the collector, the collector curses back. The fight goes from the back of the restaurant to the front and out onto the street. Just the sort of place that one wants to take their family.
After the disaster of a night is through, Ramsay talks to Tina about what is going on with the restaurant. She admits to him that Peter takes money from the register when she is not there, a couple of hundred dollars at a time. And, she says, he even does it on days the restaurant loses money.
The next morning, Ramsay decides that Peter and his father ought to run the kitchen for one meal, while Tina takes care of the front of the house. Things turn into a catastrophe immediately, as Peter cannot make anything in the kitchen work and fails to see ingredients that are right in front of him. Point made, and with customers hungry, Ramsay allows Robert to take control of the kitchen once more and feed the people out front. He also does manage to slip in a four letter word directed at Peter before doing so.
It must have been a short day at Peter’s, because the next scene is the following morning, as Ramsay introduces the staff to their brand-spanking new kitchen (save the walk-in refrigerator). He has also decided to rework the menu completely, changing it to a “family-style” restaurant. This will mean that the kitchen has to put out fewer dishes, but with more on each one. It ought to make things easier… hopefully.
As Ramsay starts to give a pep talk for the grand relaunch, another bill collector arrives. Ramsay tries to continue his little speech, but the collector will not allow it. Predictably, Peter loses his temper and Ramsay eventually gives up trying to prevent a fight. Peter follows the collector out onto the street, Peter’s dad ends up lying down on the sidewalk, and threats are made before the collector drives off.
Despite the fireworks, the opening is a huge success, all the customers seem to love the food. That is, they love it when it actually arrives. Peter, feeling peckish, hijacks a dozen baked clams in the kitchen, and gets caught doing so by Ramsay before tearing into a waitress for not getting food and drink to her tables fast enough. After the service is finished, Ramsay applauds the entire staff, save Peter, who he calls out as the problem at the restaurant. Ramsay goes through, in detail, all of Peter’s failings. Following the harangue, Peter tells the camera in a one-on-one that what Ramsay said to him must be how all the workers feel. Peter says that Ramsay is right and he promises to work harder in the future.
The next morning makes it appear as though he may actually be as good as his word, as we find him calling to get the walk-in fridge either repaired or replaced as needed. Peter is all smiles and laughs and is going to recommit himself to helping out as needed (bringing menus, serving, etc.) in the restaurant. Peter also promises to name his first son Gordon Ramsay Pellegrino. Then, as a touching little sendoff, Peter’s Italian Restaurant sponsors the first Babylon Family Day for the community.
The show really needs to do one of those follow-up visit things a couple months down the line at this point to let everyone know what is going on, but instead, it cuts to a promo for next week. It promises to be fun and have a whole new batch of four letter words, or, maybe the same ones that have just been reheated. Tune in next week to find out.
How is this for an idea, everyone chips in a couple of dollars, flies me to New York, I check out the restaurant and you read my review over at The TV and Film Guy’s Reviews.
I've been watching this show on BBC America and really enjoying it, it comes off as a documentary and do indeed make that return visit to make sure the changes have "stuck." It also doesn't bother to bleep Ramsey's speech, which is a good thing, the bleeps are incredibly annoying.
So what happened? Was this show "Foxized"? It was awful, a sheer waste of an hour. What takes an hour (give or take a few commercial breaks) of thoughtful addressing problems on the BBC is superficially solved in the last five minutes of the US version, complete with tacky dramatic music.
It's embarrassing. Do the powers that be truly believe this kind of superficial make-drama dumbing down is necessary for US audiences? I'd be insulted, but it's way more effort than this show deserves. Just make it go away, and make it go away quickly.
Bill collector = Bookie
anonymous | Sep 19, 2007 11:45:22 PM | #You can tell the differences between this and the British version of the show... for one, the British version never really seemed to provide the restaurants with things like a brand new kitchen. Clearly that's the work of Fox having deep pockets. I disagree with thejanet about it being awful. I really wonder how much you watched of the British version. I for one actually watched the show, in England, every series. (or season as it's called in America) the show is different, but not by very much.
Every restaurant is different in the British version, and because of that, every version of the show was slightly different. Gordon has had to deal with people that don't want to change, but the owner called in his help... those episodes don't show a gradual progression into being a good restaurant, but rather, show that progression in the last 5 or 10 minutes.
As for the going back to see how things are... if you actually listened to the voice over, they said that over the next couple of weeks he changed... they then showed random cut scenes of Peter getting drinks and all that. So while it's not like the British version where they say "1 month later" and spend the last 5 minutes with Gordon going back, they did seem to give a little bit of info about how things were going two weeks later. This was of course the very first episode, and it's very possible that it changes as the weeks go by. I wouldn't be surprised if Fox isn't saving the footage of Gordon going back a month or two later, for re-runs so they can get people to watch. But again, if you listened to the voice over, it did say what happened (briefly) over the next couple weeks.
JJ | Sep 20, 2007 12:32:41 AM | #I watched the first episode of, 'Kitchen Nightmares'. If you like watching 'Hell's Kitchen'. One thing can be said, Gordon Ramsay knows what he is looking for as far, the menu, service, etc.
So the use the 'bleep-o-meter' quite often.
Another thing, too. The menu at Peter's Italian Resturant was a 'bit of their league'.
I can reassure that when the re-runs hit. They will 'update' from the previous time.
I say, 'stay tuned'.
Doesn't Babylon have health inspectors? The walk-in refrigerator should have been condemned and the restaurant closed. Who paid off the health inspectors? Note to self - never eat in a Babylon restaurant. Judging from the preview I should probably update that to: never eat in a restaurant located anywhere in New York state.
Chris | Sep 20, 2007 7:32:20 AM | #Wow, What a pos... BBC much better. I cringe to think of what it would be like to view this FOX mess from a Brits point of view. Peter Pelligrino, what can I say about him, Not who I want representing the typical American. What a Jerk...........
Sad for Us. | Sep 20, 2007 7:43:34 AM | #JJ - It did say what happened, and allegedly showed clips. But Peter was wearing the same clothes he had been wearing and Nicole (the crying waitress) was wiping tears from her face. It looked to me like the clips were from the orginial week, so I discount the entire "revisit."
Josh Lasser | Sep 20, 2007 9:13:22 AM | #Yeah, Chris, that's a good idea. Don't ever eat in New York state, despite the fact that some of the finest restaurants in the world are there. I'm sure McDonald's appreciates your continued patronage of their restaurants.
Tee | Sep 20, 2007 9:50:06 AM | #The reality is..if they let the kitchen get that way in the first place then it will most likely happpen again. Tina & Peter dont care about the family business, they care about the materialistic bullshit! If that was my brother and sister...I'd move to another state and change my name!
Reality | Sep 20, 2007 11:17:03 AM | #The bill collector was a set up. Peter paid the guy to come to the restaurant. It was a set up to make him look like a tough guy...How tough is he if he has an order of protection against his sisters husband. He was bitch slapped by his brother in law and went to the police. One word....RAT!
Jerry | Sep 20, 2007 11:19:39 AM | #'Only major city I ever visited that seemed to have restaurant health inspection with real teeth was Denver, and that was 25 years ago. The old adage about "If you like what you're eating, don't look in the kitchen" is applicable from San Francisco to NYC and from Chicago to New Orleans. Any business based heavily on cash transactions is going to have similar problems...
Egads | Sep 20, 2007 11:21:43 AM | #Everyone in the Town of Babylon knows that the Pellegrino’s are exactly how the show portrayed them to be. They are a very dysfunctional family. They have no respect for each other; they treat each other like crap! I live around the corner from the restaurant and they forget to mention that the Department of Health closed them down for 2 week because of rats!
Gabby | Sep 20, 2007 3:48:35 PM | #the show rocks Ramsey seems to be real deal that Peter seemed to be a wiseguy want to be
Franko | Sep 20, 2007 4:32:12 PM | #What a loser that Peter is!!!!
joe | Sep 20, 2007 4:32:54 PM | #"Tina & Peter dont care about the family business, they care about the materialistic bullshit!"
I think Tina did care, but like everyone else in her family, no one ever stood up to Peter and said "You're one of the major reasons the restaurant is failing". But as a co-owner, she should have had the guts to call Peter on all of his comps to his friends, taking money from the day's receipts, etc.
edonline | Sep 20, 2007 4:48:34 PM | #In my opinion that Peter should learn his proper behavoir his restaurant and meet people and show friendly.Because he look ego and macho like as Sam "bull" gravino".He need help and go to college make learn to be professional and restaurant.Also important he must responsbile for clean& fresh all foods. I'm impress that Mr.Gordon teach him how to do and right cooks.I hope Peter getting improve and to be good business in future. Thanks.
Jimmy E | Sep 20, 2007 7:41:30 PM | #used to work for Peters rest. He is a LOSERRRRRRRR a FAKE a Wannabe Mobster. he knows nobody and noone cares for him.hes like 50 yrs old he owns maybe 2 suits and wears them over and over again. HES a whole lot of nothing,,,and oh yeah hes a struggling actor!
Pinkie | Sep 24, 2007 12:44:05 AM | #I love Gordon Ramsay, and am hoping for the day that either we grow up enough for them to NOT bleep every other syllable, or FOX (and BBC America) release his shows unedited. I'm a big boy now, I can take the F-bomb.
Actually, this show is miles different from the BBC version. The only similarity is the plot itself. The American version is far more abbrasive, and I hope that the FOX version never finds its way across the pond. That could really mess up tourism for the states. Where does he find these losers anyway?
New York was represented just fine i thought in the show . People like Peter are on every corner in the city and most of the cities restuarants are dirty. The food is over-rated greasy and you cant get a good breakfast to save your life . You want a good meal go to San Francisco and Leave the Jerks of NYC alone how they like it .
Never nyc | Dec 6, 2007 11:57:34 PM | #I have to say I know peter and hes still an idiot the man uses his business to get lucky with the ladies gives everything for free hes a true wanna be and a loser some people will never change ...thank God for the new kitchen our dear friend put in but peter gets no respect from me ( aonce friend and an ex patron) whatta loser
anonymous | Dec 17, 2007 8:39:45 AM | #I have to say I know peter and hes still an idiot the man uses his business to get lucky with the ladies gives everything for free hes a true wanna be and a loser some people will never change ...thank God for the new kitchen our dear friend put in but peter gets no respect from me ( aonce friend and an ex patron) whatta loser
anonymous | Dec 17, 2007 8:39:50 AM | #I have to say I know peter and hes still an idiot the man uses his business to get lucky with the ladies gives everything for free hes a true wanna be and a loser some people will never change ...thank God for the new kitchen our dear friend put in but peter gets no respect from me ( aonce friend and an ex patron) whatta loser
anonymous | Dec 17, 2007 8:40:06 AM | #During the programme, I got the feeling that Peter was an egotistical prat who only thought of himself. The fake tan, Whiter than white teeth and the "staged" Hard man act. In the UK the programme never has the "F" word bleeped. That Is how we like It.
David Barnett | Dec 27, 2007 6:56:24 AM | #I'm English.
Reading your comments, I am wondering if your broadcasting station has tampered with the format of the show and watered it down. I hope not, because I have just written to Channel 4 in the UK, (who make the show,) complaining that the British version is dumbed down and not challenging enough! All you can do is write letters to the television station, and keep writing, and keep writing!
Good luck and stick with the series - it gets better...
Love
Helena, London, England
I have to admit that the first time i watched "Kitchen Nightnares" Ep: Peter's----I wasn't a fan of his. But, I must admit that last week i was in the city with a few girl friends and I recognized him at Nick N Toni's and then at Starbucks on the Upper West Side he was nothing like the guy on TV.Just a total gentleman and very funny.He took pictures with us made us laugh and just was an overall nice guy. Too bad he's engaged,hehe. Anyway Peter best of luck. Aliya
Aliya | Feb 5, 2008 7:21:26 PM | #
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